Johnathan O' Reilly's War Journal
The below documents are official copies of Sir Johnathan O' Reilly's journal, written throughout the First and Anglo-Spanish Wars. Certain dates may be partially unclear, as several pages of the journal were lost. Entry I September 13, 1744 Just earlier on this day, the war which Europe has awaited for so long, has begun. King George Augustus II officially signed the war documents and ordered the Royal Military to Spain, to begin an invasion which is planned to end with the sacking of Madrid, and the capture of rebel King Phillipe V. I am just packing my bags now, and the servants in the driveway are making quite a racket loading the carriage to take me to London, for the reception of my written orders. Alas, here is Heywood outside my door; I must cut this entry short, unfortunately. Entry II September 14, 1744 I have just returned to my lodgings at ''The Silver Crown, and am now writing my second entry. Hours before this, the King called for an assembly of all Military and political leaders, to discuss the newly declared war. It appears that Spanish loyalists are fleeing Spain to France, and that the first of the British forces have landed south of Bayonne, on the Spanish-French border. The Naval fleet has begun a blockade of the northern coastline of Spain. It seems as though I shall be boarding the flagship sometime tomorrow to transport me to Spain, as well as to conduct the Royal Military in the newborn invasion. Lord Faye, Chancellor of Warfare for England, has given explicit instruction to prematurely secure Bayonne so as to cut off Spanish attempts at taking parts of France. I must attend to my duties in a moment, I shall continue with this journal tomorrow.'' Entry III September 15, 1744 I observed the first skirmish of the war earlier this day. About ten minutes after the embarkation of the Royal Marines and Army from the transport ships we were met with scattered Spanish guerilla fighters. The 14th Falmouth Regiment, after some turmoil, was able to flank the guerillas from the west. After seeing to the confinement of the Spanish prisoners, we marched on, only to meet another guerilla company. However, upon our second encounter, we were far more prepared, and thus routed them in a swift advance. We retired to quarters around 8:30, with the satisfaction of two minor victories to start the war. Entry IV September 16, 1744 We have taken San Sebastian just today. I have set up a headquarters in the Governor's house, providing a large overlook of the city and fields around it for miles. We have fortified most of the forward areas with cannon and barricades, as well as posted sentries throughout the city. The Spanish priosners amount up to 20,000, and have been ordered to the French Goverment to take charge of them, but are almost all civilians; there were only a few regiments of militia guarding the city. I am pondering on the thought of why the city was so lightly guarded. I am looking down amongst the camps, and see several fires, as well as hear the muffled sounds of joyous cheers of the men. It is a great day to be the victor, as many of my officers are saying. My God, was that a gun I heard...? I must go attend to the incident, as I must finish this entry. Entry V September 17, 1744 It seems as if we are now in for a long siege, unfortunately. The firing that I heard last evening proved to be the first attempt at breaching the city's wall. The attack commenced around 11:34 PM last night; it will do me good to remember that when I make my final report. The 42nd Bridgewater was the first to respond, turning out only three minutes later. When the morning's light glittered above the trees to the south, it revealed at least four batteries of Spanish artillery, as well as a whole division of infantry. They must have formed in behind the ridge to the southwest and marched in after dusk. Today, the fired a continous barrage of cannon fire into San Sebastian, bringing death and destruction to a good many soldiers and establishments. I fear that this will indeed turn into a larger siege, that may last for days, weeks, or maybe even months. I am in no doubt grateful of the fact that the Royal Navy is supporting us to the north from the Bay of Cadiz, with daily supplies from England. However, should these supplies be cut off... '' '''More to come...' Category:Fan Documents Category:Fan Creations Category:POTCO